the route via Chambéry ruled out, the scenario with tunnel under Chartreuse favored
During a meeting with the various players in Lyon-Turin, the Minister of Transport confirmed that he favored a “large gauge” scenario. The railway line will therefore not pass through Chambéry, in Savoie, which angers some local elected officials.
What will the Lyon-Turin railway line be used for? On Wednesday September 14, during a meeting which took place behind closed doors, the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, clearly explained to the actors of the project that he would favor the so-called “large size“. It is therefore this option that he will recommend to follow on behalf of the whole of the government.
Concretely, this scenario of the “large size” would initiate the construction of a new railway line almost reserved for freight, that is to say the transport of goods. The line would start at Saint-André-le-Gaz, in Isère, which would require the construction of three tunnels :
- A tunnel under Chartreuse which would come out at the height of the commune of Chapareillan,
- A tunnel that would pass under Belledonne,
- A tunnel that would pass under the Col du Glandon.
This scenario is expected to transport around 28 million tonnes of cargo per year.
According to our information, the other scenario which provided for a mixed freight / passenger line to Chambéry, has been abandoned, according to the words of Clément Beaune, the Minister of Transport.
The news angers some elected Chamberians. On social networks, the municipal councilor Jean-Benoît Cerino says: “more so, and less ecological, the future route will therefore cross the Chartreuse and will go directly towards the Maurienne, neglecting the international character of the Chambéry station but also the connections with Annecy and Geneva and postponing to Greek calendars the improvements of TER links on our territory who really needs it…“
In my view, this is a historic strategic error for the economic and ecological development of our territory.
Jean-Benoît Cerino, municipal councilor in Chambéry, in Savoie.
For the chosen one, this”thus the obsolete choice of favoring road and motorway to the detriment of rail for travelers on a regional scale confirmed as local“.
The elected representatives of Haute-Savoie were also counting on the scenario”mixed” in order to shorten the trip between Annecy and Paris, for which it takes 3 hours and 46 minutes.
According to our information, many elected officials are worried. One of them, a parliamentarian from Isère, named – off the microphone – his fears to France 3 Alpes: since the launch of discussions, ten years ago, three quarters of local elected officials have changed. These new elected officials do not know the file and some even oppose the project because their territory has been urbanized since the beginning of the discussions, especially in the north of Isère.
According to this parliamentarian,it will scream” in local communities. However, the latter will have to put their hands in the wallet.
Jean-Charles Kohlaas, vice-president of the Metropolis of Lyon, confirmed to France 3 Alpes that a first financial round had been conducted on Wednesday September 14 by the prefect of the Rhône.
The total cost of the scenario”large size” is revealed at 10 billion euros. Half of this sum will be financed by Europe. The State, for its part, will disburse 2.5 billion euros.
There are therefore 2.5 billion euros left to find… According to the Lyon elected official, the communities have not really answered the call: “The first round does not leave me very optimistic about the possibility of seeing the project materialize” he asserted.